The Dogs

3 May 2007 — shawlander

I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE A DOG AND LIVE IN THE CITY.
But it seems to be very popular.

Queen’s Park has a rule that dogs must be muzzled, always on a lead and that their owners clean up after them — however a trip to the park any day at any time shows that dog-owners think the park is for letting their dogs run about freely to get exercise off the lead.

I have never ever seen a dog muzzled and on a lead — let alone an owner cleaning up after them.

Most people don’t bother even taking their dog to the park. They walk their dog on the pavements of Shawlands — and never ever clean up their fouling. The pavement is covered in dog mess, and this gets trod on and spread through houses and cars. Kids tramp on them and prams and skateboards run through them. It is disgusting and a real health hazard.

Roads, drains and kerbs seem clean, so dog fouling seems to be centred on pavements and lanes; it certainly seems rare on traffic islands unless these islands have some grass or trees.

How can this problem be solved: how can we get dog-owners to be more considerate and neighbourly?

If there were designated areas, would they be used? would local residents like that idea? how often would they be cleaned?

If we supplied free pooper-scoopers would that help?

We already have signs and fines, but how about increasing the policing of this — more CCTV, more bobbies on the beat?

I remember seeing on TV years ago that the Parisian method involved a special task-force of motor bikes with wet vacuum cleaner attachments to suck up and wash dog mess from the pavements of the French capital.